Your stimulus checks. Why Is Your Liquid Net Worth Important?Let’s say a tree fell on your house and left a large, gaping hole. It is supposed to rain for the next five days. You called your insurance company, but the adjuster is busy and can’t come out to appraise the damage for two days. You need the hole fixed now. That’s where liquid assets come in handy.
In this case, you can write a check to a roofing company and get the work done. If you don’t have an emergency fund or enough cash in the bank, it can take weeks to come up with the money to fix the roof. You can sell your car, but that can also take time, and you need your vehicle for work.
How much is enough to have as liquid assets? That depends. Not everyone can afford to have $1 million in the bank, as many financial experts recommend. But having enough to cover six months of expenses is a financially sound goal.
How to Calculate Your Liquid Net Worth
It’s relatively easy to calculate your liquid net worth. But before you start, you must first calculate your total net worth using this formula:
Assets - Liabilities = Net Worth
Assets are things you own, like your home, a car, and jewelry. Liabilities are your ongoing expenses, like your mortgage and car payments.
You simply add up the value of all your liquid assets and subtract your liabilities. Keep in mind that if some of your liquid assets, such as stock and bonds, have a liquidity discount, you will need to take this into account when calculating your liquid net worth.
The formula to calculate your liquid net worth:
Liquid Assets - Secured Debts = Liquid Net Worth
You must also remember to remove all of the costs and expenses involved with liquidating all of your assets. For instance, if you own your home free-and-clear and sell it for $400,000, you must subtract the cost of selling your home, like realtor fees.
How to Calculate the Percentage of Your Liquid Assets to Total Assets
Once you’ve determined your total liquid assets, weigh them against your total assets. While no set dollar figure should be “liquid,” you will want easy access to enough money to pay for emergencies and the unexpected.
You can calculate the percentage by dividing your liquid assets by total assets and multiplying that figure by 100. The answer tells you what percentage of your total worth can be converted to cash quickly.
Liquid Assets ÷ Total Assets x 100
Factors Affecting Your Liquid Net Worth
The most significant factor affecting your liquid net worth is not having enough money. An emergency fund is essential in case of job loss, an accident, a large expense that can’t wait, and more.
If you have too much of your money tied up in non-liquid assets, you are much less “liquid,” So, if or when you need fast access to cash, you’ll be out of luck.
Examples of Non-Liquid Assets
How to Improve Your Liquid Net Worth
There are several easy ways to improve your liquid net worth, including:
- Reducing your liabilities and paying down debt
- Trimming your expenses
- Putting your tax return and stimulus check into a savings account
- Adding another source of income
- Putting as much as possible into your retirement account
- Transferring part of your paycheck into an interest-bearing account
Not everyone has a positive liquid net worth, and many people are just one paycheck away from poverty. Calculating your liquid assets is important and making changes, like reducing your debt or investing your money, can keep your head above water financially.
Liquid assets are items you can use or turn into cash right away. The money in your savings accounts are examples of liquid assets, while things like your car and the value of your house are fixed assets.